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Homeownership is fundamental to the American dream. It offers wealth, security, community, and countless other benefits. Yet for many California residents, the dream feels increasingly out of reach—even as incomes rise and mortgage rates fall. Near-record prices have made homes hard to come by and often even harder to afford, leaving buyers and sellers stuck and younger generations priced out.
But affordable pockets still exist. In cities across the state, residents can comfortably spend around 30% of their income or less on housing, which is widely considered the affordable threshold.
To find out where these cities are, Redfin Real Estate ranked the most affordable cities in California, based on their local payment to income ratios. All data is an average for the January-October 2025 period. To see the most affordable cities in the country, read this recent Redfin article.
#1. Elk Grove, California
– Payment to income ratio: 40.9%
– Median sale price: $652,686
– Median household income: $122,229
– Income needed to buy: $166,672
– Median monthly mortgage payment: $4,167
– See homes for sale in Elk Grove on Redfin.com
#2. Roseville, California
– Payment to income ratio: 41.8%
– Median sale price: $639,738
– Median household income: $117,354
– Income needed to buy: $163,365
– Median monthly mortgage payment: $4,084
– See homes for sale in Roseville on Redfin.com
#3. Folsom, California
– Payment to income ratio: 43.2%
– Median sale price: $785,749
– Median household income: $139,263
– Income needed to buy: $200,651
– Median monthly mortgage payment: $5,016
– See homes for sale in Folsom on Redfin.com
#4. Tracy, California
– Payment to income ratio: 43.4%
– Median sale price: $669,832
– Median household income: $118,253
– Income needed to buy: $171,050
– Median monthly mortgage payment: $4,276
– See homes for sale in Tracy on Redfin.com
#5. Brentwood, California
– Payment to income ratio: 43.9%
– Median sale price: $800,505
– Median household income: $139,567
– Income needed to buy: $204,419
– Median monthly mortgage payment: $5,110
– See homes for sale in Brentwood on Read more